CONSTRAINTS TO EFFECTIVE COVERAGE OF NECO AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE SYLLABUS IN CENTRAL EDUCATION ZONE OF PLATEAU STATE

ABSTRACT

This research was set out to find out the school-related, teacher-related, students-related constraints  to  effective  coverage  of  NECO  agricultural  science  syllabus  and  the strategies  to  effectively  cover  the  NECO  agricultural  science  syllabus  in  central education zone of Plateau State. A survey research design was employed for the study. Four research questions were developed and answered based on the purpose of the study. Also, four null hypotheses were formulated and tested at the probability of 0.05 level of significance.  The  population  for  the  study  was  294  made  up  of  46  government agricultural science teachers, 243 senior agricultural science students and 5 secondary school principals in central zone of plateau state. A structured questionnaire was developed, validated by three experts and used to collect data from the 265 respondents. The research questions were coded and analyzed in the Statistical Package for Social Scientists (SPSS) version 20 using mean statistic and standard deviation, while t-test statistics was used to test the hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. Based on the data analyzed, the following findings were made: (i) Twenty four school-related constraints to effective coverage of NECO agricultural science syllabus were identified. (ii) Twenty two teacher-related constraints to effective coverage of NECO agricultural science syllabus were identified. (iii) Fourteen student-related constraints to effective coverage of NECO agricultural science syllabus were identified and (iv) Thirty six strategies to effective coverage of NECO agricultural science syllabus in central education zone of plateau state were identified. Based on the findings of the study conclusions were drawn and recommendations made which include; Seminar, workshop and conferences should be organized to educate the stakeholders on how to handle constraints that hinder effective coverage  of  agricultural  science  syllabus,  state  ministry  of  education should  foster proper and regular supervision of teachers, students and school administrators to ensure timely  and  effective  coverage  of  agricultural science  syllabus  in  the  zone,  and  the identified strategies for effective coverage of agricultural science syllabus should be documented and made available to all the education zones in the state for reference purpose and immediate actions against any identified constraints to effective coverage of agricultural science syllabus.

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CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

Agriculture  is  the  cultivation  of  crops  and  rearing  of  animals  for  man  and industrial usage. Agriculture is the cultivation of crops, rearing of livestock, processing, storage, distribution, and marketing of agricultural products for man and industrial usage (Ali, 2015). The agricultural sector has a multiplier effect on any nation’s socio-economic and industrial fabric because of the multifunctional nature of the sector (Ayinde, Muchie and Olatunji 2011). It has the potential to be the industrial and economic springboard from which the country’s development can take off (Stewart, 2000). In Africa, agriculture provides  a  source  of  employment for  more  than  60  percent  of  the  population and contributes about 30 percent of the Gross domestic product (Alvaro, Tingju, Katrin, Richard and Claudiu 2009).

In Nigeria, apart from oil which is the current mainstay of her economy in terms of foreign exchange earnings, agriculture contributed 33.69% to Nigeria’s GDP in 2013 and the sector employs around 70% of the workforce (National Bureau of Statistics, 2013). It is because of the importance of the agricultural sector in Nigeria economic growth and development before and  after  the  discovery of  oil  that  the  educational sector made agricultural science a study subject at both the junior and senior secondary schools.

Agricultural science is a broad multidisciplinary field that encompasses the parts of natural, economic and social sciences that are used in the practice and understanding of agriculture. It is recognized as one of the subjects which is vital in peoples’ life as it

embraces science, technology, culture and business. Agricultural science as a subject in

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secondary school is taught by agricultural science teacher.   Secondary school is any private or government approved educational institution that is higher than primary school. Secondary school is divided into two major categories thus; junior and senior secondary. In senior secondary, agricultural science as a subject is taught to students who are in SS1, SS2 and SS3 by agricultural science teachers who are trained teachers in either colleges of education or in universities for the realization of the subject objectives.

It is emphasized that certain content in the agricultural science syllabus be covered and specific concepts and skills mastered by secondary school students. In order to achieve the objectives of agricultural science syllabus, the content has been structured around three major concepts of production, protection and economics. Topics related to these concepts were organized into six units, viz: Basic concepts, crop production, animal production, agricultural ecology and systems, agricultural engineering and agricultural economics and extension. The spiral approach was adopted in the presentation of topic across the senior secondary school years. Suffice to indicate that this senior secondary school (SSS) programme relates directly to the junior secondary school (JSS) programme such that concepts introduced at the JSS are further dealt with at the SSS to produce a graduated development of concepts and enhance the learning and comprehension of student (Agricultural Science Curriculum, 2011).

It is noted that the main objectives of agricultural science are ; to provide students with adequate skill to  make a living and progressively advance farming; to provide occupational entry-level skill in agriculture to interested secondary school students; to advance food production through improvement of agriculture production techniques in secondary school; to prepare secondary school students adequately for production and

marketing farm commodities efficiently; and to prepare secondary school students for conservation of soil and other natural resources( Olaitan,1988).

There are four basic goals for teaching agricultural science as identified thus;

utilitarian, personal development, economic growth and cultural values (Yara and Otieno,

2010).  This is because agricultural science has both theoretical and practical content that students are exposed to. The theoretical and the practical content of agricultural science which the senior secondary students are exposed to in other to achieve the objectives of the subject depends on the coverage of agricultural science syllabus.

Syllabus is an outline and summary of topics to be covered in an educational programme. Nnabuo, Okorie, Agabi and Igwe (2005) opined that any document which shows how each subject should be taught and the details through which it should be treated is a subject syllabus. Aiyepeku (2006) outlined the basic content of a teaching syllabus as;  topics to  be  taught at  various  levels  in  the  school,  specific  behavioral objectives which should indicate knowledge to be acquired after the teaching of any given topic,  the  content of  all  the  topics selected for  inclusion in  the  syllabus and

,materials and suggested activities for teaching listed topics.  Syllabus is often either set out by an exam board or prepared by the professor who supervises or controls the course quality (Slattery, 2005). The syllabus serves many purposes for the students and the teacher such as ensuring a fair and impartial understanding between the teacher and students such that there is minimal confusion on policies relating to the subject, setting clear expectations of materials to be learned, behavior in the classroom and effort on students behalf to be put into the subject, (Habanek, 2005). Slattery and Carlson (2005) describe the syllabus as a contract between faculty members and their students, designed

to answer students’ questions about a course (subject), as well as inform them about what will happen should they fail to  meet course (subject) expectations. Habanek (2005) stresses the importance of the syllabus as a vehicle for expressing accountability and commitment in school.

Both syllabus and curriculum are often fused, and usually given to each student at the beginning of any new academic session so that the objectives and the means of achieving them will be made known to everyone. A syllabus usually contains specific information about the subject, such as information on how, where and when to contact the lecturer, teacher and teaching assistants, an outline of what will be covered in the course; a schedule of test dates and the due date for assignments; the grading policy for the course; and specific classroom rules (Brown, 2007).

The agricultural science syllabus in Nigeria is developed by the Nigeria Education Research Development Council (NERDC) and the syllabus is primarily concerned with academic preparation of secondary school students and must be covered when broken into smaller unit called scheme of work. Aiyepeku (2006) defined scheme of work as a breakdown of syllabus for work planned to be covered weekly. Nnabuo in Nnabuo, Okorie, Agabi and Igwe (2005) describes scheme of work as breaking down into topics of a subject to be covered on a weekly basis of each school term. Therefore the academic performance of agricultural science students depends on how well the scheme of work is covered by the teachers and students respectively in their day to day classroom encounter. It is emphasized that certain content in the agricultural science syllabus be covered and specific  concepts  and  skill  mastered  by  secondary  school  students.  These  content

attributes are tested for by the National Examination Council (NECO) after three years in senior secondary classes.

National Examination Council (NECO) is an examination body created in April

1999 under the administration of Abdulsalami Abubakar in Nigeria to conduct senior school certificate examinations (SSCE) for school based candidate and for private candidates (NECO, 2013). In Nigeria, NECO examination is written after the foremost West African Examination and result obtained is used as prerequisite to secure admission into  colleges  of  education,  polytechnics and  universities.  The  maiden  senior  school certificate examination conducted in Nigeria by NECO was in the year 2000 (NECO,

2013).

In  Nigeria and  in  plateau state  to  be  precise, over  the  years performance of agricultural science students in NECO examination in central zone of plateau state has continued to show a downward spiral despite the effort made by the state government and the post primary education board to improve performance of the students (Plateau State Ministry of  Education, 2013). Instead it is believed that non-coverage or poor coverage of agricultural science syllabus both by teachers and students contribute a lot to poor performance of students in NECO examination in agricultural science in central zone of plateau state. It is believed that some constraints are responsible for non-coverage of agricultural science syllabus which include school- related, teacher-related and student- related constraints. School- related constraints are conditions at the schools’ dispensation that have an influence on the teaching-learning process hence, performance of students. Teacher- related constraints are conditions at the teacher’s dispensation that have an influence on the teaching-learning process thereby affecting the performance of students

while Student- related constraints are conditions at the student’s dispensation that influence teaching-learning process thereby affecting performance of students in agricultural science. This study intends to identify and document these constraints that hinder effective coverage of agricultural science syllabus which affect students performance in NECO examination students in central zone of plateau state.

Statement of the Problem

Agricultural science is one of the vocational subjects that students study in Nigeria secondary schools and in central zone of plateau state because of its importance in the Nigeria economic growth and development. Yet it is still one of the  poorly performed subjects at national examination council despite the effort of the state government and Plateau state post primary education board to employ qualified teachers and pay their salaries as and when due to ensure effective coverage of agricultural science syllabus. In an attempt to improve performance, some parents arrange and pay for extra tuition for their children so that they can cover all topics within the syllabus, but still students performance in agricultural science in central zone of plateau state senior secondary NECO examination is poor (Plateau State Post Primary School Management Board,

2012). This is inline that only 15%, 30% and 28% of the students credited agricultural science in 2011, 2012 and 2013 respectively in central zone of plateau state (Plateau State Ministry of Education, 2013).

This has caused students who are interested to study agricultural related courses in universities, polytechnic and colleges of education to spend extra years and money in rewriting agricultural science as it is a prerequisite for studying any agricultural related courses  in  higher  institution.  And  to  other  students  who  have  interest  in  studying

agricultural related courses has resulted in studying entirely different courses because they could not credit agricultural science in NECO exams. Researchers have identified factors that are believed to cause poor performance such as societal poor view of agricultural science and government policies (Miheso 2012). Shikuku (2009) and Dzama (2006) have established that these factors do not directly contribute to poor performance instead late or non-coverage of the syllabus contributes a lot to poor performance. The link between syllabus coverage and its influence on performance of NECO senior secondary school students of agricultural science in central zone of plateau state has to be investigated. Based on the above background, school-related constraints, teacher-related constraints,   and   student-related   constraints   that   influence   effective   coverage   of agricultural science syllabus in the study area have to be investigated and enhancement strategies identified.

Purpose of the Study

The main purpose of the study was identified constraints to effective coverage NECO agricultural science syllabus in central zone of plateau state specifically this study will seek to:

1.     Identify  the  school-related  constraints  inhibiting  effective  coverage  of  NECO

agricultural science syllabus in central education zone of plateau state.

2.    Find out teachers-related constraints to effective coverage of NECO agricultural science syllabus in central education zone of plateau state.

3.    Ascertain students-related constraints to effective coverage of NECO agricultural science syllabus in central education zone of plateau state.

4.    Find out strategies for enhancing effective coverage of NECO agricultural syllabus in central education zone of plateau state.

Significance of the Study

The outcome of the study will be beneficial to students of agricultural science in the secondary school, teachers of agriculture, state ministries of education, curriculum planners,

Through   the   determination   of   school-related   constraints,   teacher-related constraints and student-related constraints inhibiting effective coverage of agricultural science syllabus, the study will present a comprehensive list of school-related constraints that inhibit effective coverage of agricultural science syllabus, list of teacher-related constraints  and student-related constraints influencing effective coverage of agricultural science syllabus, therefore helping both the students and agricultural science teachers to eliminate those constraints by using best teaching methods and practices that will ensure proper coverage of the agricultural syllabus.

The result of the study will also be beneficial to the students of agricultural science and agricultural science teacher as it will present comprehensive lists of the strategies for enhancing effective coverage of agricultural syllabus which when utilized properly will enhance performance of agricultural science students in  NECO examination.

The state ministries of education will benefit from the result of the study as it will provide them with the list of school-related constraints, teacher-related   and students- related constraints that inhibit effective coverage of agricultural science syllabus, thereby helping  the  ministries  to  develop  policies  and  programs  that  will  ensure  effective coverage of agricultural science syllabus based on identified constraints through adequate

supervision and monitoring of teachers and students in school to enhance performance of students in NECO examination . The ministries will equally benefits from the list of strategies for enhancing effective coverage of agricultural syllabus in senior secondary NECO examination as it will help the ministries during supervision and monitoring of agricultural science syllabus coverage in senior secondary school.

Curriculum planners will benefit from the result of the study as it will provide them  with  the  list  of  school-related constraints,  teacher-related    and  student-related constraints to effective coverage of agricultural science syllabus, thereby enabling them to develop agricultural science curriculum that will serve as a panacea to the identified constraints. They will equally benefit from the results of the study as it will provide them with the list of the strategies for enhancing effective coverage of agricultural science syllabus, thereby enabling them to formulate agricultural science curriculum contents from simple to complex, known to unknown and from concrete to abstract.

Schools of agriculture like colleges of agriculture and faculties of agriculture will benefits from the result of the study as it will provide them with relevant literature containing list of school-related, teacher-related and student-related to effective coverage of agricultural science syllabus, and the list of strategies for enhancing effective coverage of agricultural syllabus which will be made available to their students to study before going into real life classroom teaching and learning situation to ensure effective syllabus coverage.

Research Questions

The following research questions was guided the study thus:

1.     What  are  the  school-related constraints inhibiting effective  coverage  of  NECO

agricultural science syllabus in senior secondary NECO examination?

2.    What are the teachers-related constraints to effective coverage of NECO agricultural science syllabus in central education zone of plateau state?

3.    What are the students-related constraints to effective coverage of NECO agricultural science syllabus in central education zone of plateau state?

4.    What are the strategies for enhancing effective coverage of NECO agricultural syllabus in central education zone of plateau state?

Research Hypotheses

Ho1:    There is no significant difference in the mean responses of teachers of agricultural science and the principals on the school-related constraints to effective coverage of NECO agricultural syllabus in central education zone of plateau state.

Ho2:    There is no significant difference in the mean responses of agricultural science teacher and the principals on the teacher-related constraints to effective coverage of NECO agricultural science syllabus in central education zone of plateau state.

Ho3:     There  is  no  significant  difference  in  the  mean  responses  of  students  of agricultural science and the agricultural science teachers on the student-related constraints to effective coverage of NECO agricultural science syllabus in central education zone of plateau state.

Ho4:    There is no significant difference in the mean responses of agricultural science teachers and the principals on the strategies for enhancing effective coverage of NECO agricultural syllabus in central education zone of plateau state.

Scope of the Study

This study was focused on constraints to effective coverage of NECO agricultural science syllabus in central zone of plateau state. The study was delimited to school- related constraints to effective coverage of agricultural syllabus; teacher-related constraints to effective coverage of agricultural science syllabus; student-related constraints to effective coverage of agricultural science syllabus and the strategies for enhancing effective coverage of agricultural science syllabus. The area of the study was delimited to the central education zone of plateau state. The opinions of teachers of agricultural science and senior students of agricultural science in secondary schools will be sought to identify school-related constraints, teacher-related constraints, student- related constraints to effective coverage of agricultural science syllabus in senior secondary NECO examination and strategies for enhancing effective coverage of agricultural science syllabus in senior secondary NECO examination.

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